System for grade crossing accident mitigation

ABSTRACT

A method, apparatus, and system for accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and a highway. One or more gates are selectively horizontally movable to block the highway such that vehicles are blocked from entering the grade crossing, or alternately movable to unblock the highway yet concurrently then block vehicles from exiting the grade crossing onto the railway without impacting at least one gate. Alternately, one or more highway-gates are selectively vertically movable to block or unblock the highway and one or more railway-gates are vertically movable to guard or unguard the railway such that a vehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto the railway without impacting a railway-gate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/593,861, filed 18 Feb. 2005, and U.S. Provisional Application No.60/593,909, filed 23 Feb. 2005.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to railway switches and signals,and more particularly to systems and devices which include anyarrangement of train-controlling and highway traffic controlling meansto prevent collisions where lines of railway cross at grade.

BACKGROUND ART

Railway-highway grade crossing accidents are a serious problem.According to U.S. Federal Railway Administration statistics, there weremore than 3,000 accidents per year between 1970 and 2001, resulting inover 400 fatalities and over 1,100 injuries. Property damage was alsovery significant.

Some examples of statistical compilations supporting this include:

-   -   1970-1985: Dept of Transportation, Federal Railway        Administration, Rail-Highway Crossing Accident/Incident and        Inventory Bulletin, table S and 11;    -   1990-2000: ibid., Railroad Safety Statistics Report 2000, table        1.1; and    -   2001: ibid., Railroad Safety Statistics Interim Report 2000,        table 1.1.

Further study indicates that close to 40% of these accidents were causedby people ignoring the warning signs and signals at grade crossings. Itfollows, as the statistics strongly support, that the approachescurrently being used are not adequate to reduce grade crossingaccidents.

FIG. 1 (prior art) shows the primary method currently used to controltraffic at grade crossings. Simply put, one or more gates are verticallyclosed onto the roadway to stop vehicles from proceeding into harms way.In particular, such gates are vertically lowered when there is a trainis approaching and they are lifted again after a train has passed and noother train is coming.

In a previous invention, disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/906,800, the present inventor proposed embedding fiber optic sensorsin slabs at grade crossings to detect the weight of passing vehicles. Bydetecting the weight of a vehicle in the crossing zone in this manner analarm signal can be triggered, to alert railway personnel and to permitstopping trains at a safe distance from the crossing.

This approach, however, does not prevent an accident caused by a vehiclebeing driven into a crossing zone while the gates are up, and thensimply left there where it will not interfere when the gates arelowered. Similarly, a vehicle can be driven out of a crossing zone,partially or fully, onto railway tracks adjacent to the crossing zoneand left there as well. This can be done purposely but, probably morecommonly, occurs accidentally. For example, when a vehicle leaves therelatively smooth surface of a crossing zone its engine can stall or thevehicle can simply become so stuck that it cannot be dislodged under itsown power.

One particular gruesome example of a railway-highway grade crossingaccident occurred on Jan. 28, 2005 in Glendale, Calif. There a vehiclewas purposely driven off the crossing zone and was trapped on therailway track. This caused the derailment of two trains, 12 fatalities,and over 100 injuries. It also caused property damage estimated to totalnear US$50 M.

Accordingly, improved approaches to reducing grade crossing accidentsare still sorely needed.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide asystem for grade crossing accident mitigation.

Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a systemfor accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and a highway.At least one gate is provided that is selectively movable horizontallyso vehicles on the highway are blocked or unblocked from entering thegrade crossing. The gate or gates are concurrently, by virtue of theirselective horizontal mobility, able to blockably guard against vehiclesexiting the grade crossing onto the railway without impacting a gatewhen such vehicles are passing through the grade crossing.

Briefly, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is also asystem for accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and ahighway. At least one highway-gate is provided that is selectivelymovable vertically so vehicles on the highway are blocked or unblockedfrom entering the grade crossing. At least one railway-gate is furtherprovided that is selectively movable vertically to blockably guardagainst vehicles in the grade crossing exiting the grade crossing ontothe railway without impacting a railway-gate.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description ofthe best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and theindustrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described hereinand as illustrated in the figures of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The purposes and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description in conjunction with the appendedfigures of drawings in which:

FIG. 1 (prior art) shows the primary method currently used to controltraffic at grade crossings.

FIGS. 2 a-b schematically depict an accident mitigation system in accordwith the present invention, wherein FIG. 2 a shows the accidentmitigation system being employed to block a railway grade crossing tovehicular highway traffic and FIG. 2 b shows the accident mitigationsystem being employed to allow such traffic through the grade crossingyet restrict vehicle traffic onto the railway.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts another embodiment of an accidentmitigation system in accord with the present invention.

In the various figures of the drawings, like references are used todenote like or similar elements or steps.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is an accidentmitigation system for use at railway grade crossings. As illustrated inthe various drawings herein, and particularly in the views of FIGS. 2a-b and 3, preferred embodiments of the invention are depicted by thegeneral reference character 10.

The inventor proposes an easy and effective approach to reducingaccidents at grade crossings of railways and highways. Basically, thisinvention proposes changing the directions that gates move and wherethey are placed to block traffic. The accident mitigation system 10 thusis employed at a grade crossing 12 where a highway 14 crosses one ormore sets of railway tracks 16.

FIG. 2 a schematically depicts one embodiment of an accident mitigationsystem 10 in accord with the present invention. This embodiment is shownbeing employed while the grade crossing 12 is blocked to traffic on thehighway 14, e.g., to passage of a vehicle 18. In contrast, FIG. 2 bschematically depicts the case where same embodiment of the accidentmitigation system 10 has opened the grade crossing 12 for vehicletraffic on the highway 14.

Turning first to FIG. 2 a, in some respects this may initially resemblethe common prior art scheme, discussed above. A number of gates 20(shown in solid outline) are placed to block traffic by vehicles 18 onthe highway 14 from entering the grade crossing 12, presumably because atrain is either coming or has just passed on the railway tracks 16.Where the inventive accident mitigation system 10 particularly differsfrom the prior art scheme, however, is emphasized by additionalrepresentations here of the gates 20 in ghost outline, showing theiralternate placements permitting traffic to proceed on the highway 14.The effective movement of the gates 20 in this embodiment is horizontal,represented stylistically by arcs 22 in FIGS. 2 a-b.

In the embodiments of the accident mitigation system 10 in FIGS. 2 a-bfour gates 20 are used, rather than just two as is typical in the mostcommon prior art scheme. This is not a requirement, however, and twolonger gates 20 can be used instead. [FIG. 3 depicts a four-gatevertically-operating embodiment of the accident mitigation system 10,but a two-gate horizontally-operating embodiment would resemble this inmany respects.]

Turning now also to FIG. 2 b, this adds some detail and the gates 20 arehere shown only in solid outline. By comparison it can be seen that thesolid representations in FIG. 2 a shows the gates 20 at one end of theirtravel and the solid representations in FIG. 2 b shows them at the otherend of their range of horizontal travel. When a train approaches thegrade crossing 12, the gates 20 are swung across the highway 14 (FIG. 2a), thus sealing off the grade crossing 12 off from vehicle traffic. Onthe other hand, when no train is coming and when there is no otherreason to block vehicle traffic, the gates 20 are horizontally swing“open” as shown in FIG. 2 b (i.e., open with respect to traffic on thehighway 14) to allow vehicles 18 to pass through the grade crossing 12.In particular, horizontally opening the gates 20 by swinging them asshown in FIG. 2 b now has positioned them to also seal off access byvehicles 18 onto the railway tracks 16 where they are adjacent to thegrade crossing 12.

Opening the gates 20 of the inventive accident mitigation system 10 totraffic by vehicles 18 on the highway 14 tends to also prevent vehicles18 from being driven off the grade crossing 12 and onto the railwaytracks 16. [FIG. 3, described presently, depicts such a scenario indetail.]

Accidentally driving off of the grade crossing 12 and onto the railwaytracks 16 is much less likely when the inventive accident mitigationsystem 10 is used, for a number of reasons. For example, the presence ofthe gates 20 blocking the railway tracks 16 should now readily bevisible to the drivers of most vehicles 18 in most conditions, sincehaving the gates 20 horizontally positioned alongside the highway 14inherently puts them much more within a driver's field of vision as theypass through the grade crossing 12. Additionally, the gates 20 can bemake especially visible, in much the same manner that prior art gradecrossing gates are made to stand out visually. For instance, the gates20 can be painted in highly noticeable, typical warning colors orpatterns and have reflectors or lights put on them. Thus, unless adriver has lost control of their vehicle 18 for reasons unrelated tovisibility, they should now be able to avoid driving off of a gradecrossing 12 and onto railway tracks 16, even in very poor visibilityconditions such as heavy rain or fog.

Purposely driving off of the grade crossing 12 and onto the railwaytracks 16 is also now more difficult, since a driver has tointentionally ram one or more of the gates 20 with their vehicle 18.This may provide a degree of psychological discouragement to somecontemplating exiting the highway 14 in the grade crossing 12. Ofcourse, making the gates 20 able to withstand being rammed by allpotential traffic may not be possible, or even desirable. But thepresence of the gates 20 as an obstacle can still provide physicaldiscouragement in some common scenarios. For example, a vandal seekingto push a shopping cart, trash dumpster, etc. off of the highway 14 andonto the railway tracks 16 at the grade crossing 12 now will find thismuch more difficult.

FIG. 2 b shows how an optional alarm system 24 and sensors 26 can beadded to the accident mitigation system 10 to detect accidental orintentional contact with the gates 20. These elements can produce analarm signal to promptly warn railway personnel that a gate 20 may havebeen impacted. The railway personnel can then immediately stop or slowtrains approaching the particular grade crossing 12, and opt toinvestigate the scene there to determine the cause of the alarm.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts another embodiment of the inventiveaccident mitigation system 10, here one instead using four verticallymoving gates 30. The use here of solid outline depicts the gates 30positioned to permit the passage of traffic on the highway 14, and theuse of ghost outline depicts them positioned to block the passage ofsuch traffic. Eight gates could be used instead, but there are someadvantages to using the number and the approach shown. For example, gatemoving mechanisms 32 (e.g., electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic motors)are only needed at two locations, saving on resources (e.g., power andsensor wiring, construction labor, etc.). If important, the use of thelarger, and presumably heavier, gates 30 here can be offset by using acounter-balance arrangement. If both gates 30 controlled by a gatemoving mechanism 32 are operated together, simultaneously raising one asthe other is lowered, the effect of gravity on the gate 30 being loweredcan be used to assist in raising the other gate 30.

FIG. 3 also depicts the unfortunate situation where a vehicle 18 hasveered off the main highway 14 onto the railway tracks 16, impacting agate 30 in the process. As stylistically represented, a sensor 26 (shownat the gate moving mechanism 32 here but also easily mounted in thegates 30 themselves) can detect this and an alarm system 24 can reportthis incident to an alarm remote 34 (e.g., at a distant control centerfor the railroad).

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, andthat the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by anyof the above described exemplary embodiments, but should instead bedefined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

1. A method for accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway anda highway, comprising: when desired to prevent a vehicle from enteringthe grade crossing, moving at least one gate horizontally to block thehighway; and when desired to permit said vehicle to enter and passthrough the grade crossing, moving said at least one gate horizontallyto unblock the highway and instead guard the railway such that saidvehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto the railway withoutimpacting a said gate.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:sensing if a said gate is impacted and producing an alarm signal; andcommunicating said alarm signal to warn a human or an automated system.3. An apparatus for accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railwayand a highway, comprising at least one gate that is selectivelyhorizontally movable to block the highway such that a vehicle thereon isblocked from entering the grade crossing and to alternately unblock thehighway such that said vehicle is permitted to enter and pass throughthe grade crossing yet concurrently blocked from exiting the gradecrossing onto the railway without impacting a said gate.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, further comprising at least one gate movingmechanism that is a member of the set consisting of electric, pneumatic,and hydraulic motors, to horizontally move at least one said gate. 5.The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising: at least one sensor forsensing if a said gate is impacted; and an alarm system responsive tosaid at least one sensor for producing an alarm signal to warn a humanor an automated system.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said atleast one gate includes warning indicia to visibly emphasize thepresence there of to a driver of said vehicle, thereby reducing thelikelihood that said driver will accidentally impact their said vehiclewith a said gate.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said warningindicia include at least one member of the set consisting of a colors,marking patterns, reflectors, and lights.
 8. A system for accidentmitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and a highway, comprising:at least one gate means to selectively horizontally move to block thehighway when it is desired to prevent a vehicle from entering the gradecrossing; and said at least one gate means further to horizontally moveto unblock the highway and instead blockably guard the railway such thatsaid vehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto the railway withoutimpacting a said gate.
 9. A method for accident mitigation at a gradecrossing of a railway and a highway, comprising: when desired to preventa vehicle from entering the grade crossing, moving at least onehighway-gate vertically to block the highway such that said vehiclecannot enter the grade crossing and, essentially contemporaneously,moving at least one railway-gate vertically to unblock the railway suchthat a train can enter and pass through the grade crossing; and whendesired to permit said vehicle to pass through the grade crossing,moving said at least one said highway-gate vertically to unblock thehighway such that said vehicle can enter and pass through the gradecrossing and, essentially contemporaneously, moving said at least onesaid railway-gate vertically to blockably guard the railway such that asaid vehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto the railway withoutimpacting a said railway-gate.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: sensing if a said highway-gate or a said railway-gate isimpacted and producing an alarm signal; and communicating said alarmsignal to warn a human or an automated system.
 11. An apparatus foraccident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and a highway,comprising: at least one highway-gate that is selectively verticallymovable to block the highway such that said vehicle thereon is blockedfrom entering the grade crossing and alternately to unblock the highwaysuch that said vehicle is permitted to enter and pass through the gradecrossing; and at least one railway-gate that is selectively verticallymovable to unblock the railway such that a train can enter and passthrough the grade crossing and alternately to blockably guard therailway such that a said vehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto therailway without impacting a said railway-gate.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein: said at least one highway-gate is positionably raisedor lowered; said at least one railway-gate is positionably raised orlowered; and said highway-gates and said railway-gates are, essentiallycontemporaneously, alternately raised or lowered such that one is, or isbeing, raised while the other is, or is being, lowered.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 11, further comprising at least one gate movingmechanism that is a member of the set consisting of electric, pneumatic,and hydraulic motors, to horizontally move at least one of said at leastone highway-gate and said at least one railway-gate.
 14. The apparatusof claim 13, wherein: said at least one gate moving mechanism includes acounter-balance to offset the work required to move a said highway-gateby the weight of a said railway-gate or to offset the work required tomove a said railway-gate by the weight of a said highway-gate.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 11, further comprising: at least one sensor forsensing if a said highway-gate or a said railway-gate is impacted; andan alarm system responsive to said at least one sensor for producing analarm signal to warn a human or an automated system.
 16. The apparatusof claim 11, wherein at least one of said highway-gates or saidrailway-gates includes warning indicia to visibly emphasize the presencethereof to a driver of said vehicle, thereby reducing the likelihoodthat said driver will accidentally impact their said vehicle with a saidhighway-gate or a said railway-gate.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein said warning indicia include at least one member of the setconsisting of a colors, marking patterns, reflectors, and lights.
 18. Asystem for accident mitigation at a grade crossing of a railway and ahighway, comprising: at least one highway-gate means to selectivelyvertically move to block the highway when it is desired to prevent avehicle from entering the grade crossing and to vertically move tounblock the highway when it is desired to permit said vehicle to enterand pass through the grade crossing; and at least one railway-gate meansto selectively vertically move to blockably guard the railway such thatsaid vehicle cannot exit the grade crossing onto the railway withoutimpacting a said railway-gate.